THE GISCOME PORTAGEHISTORICAL BACKGROUNDIntroductionThe Giscome Portage is a route approximately nine miles long which joins the Fraser River with Summit Lake, providing access to a water route system known and used by the Indians of the area, and was investigated by the North West Company during the fur trade period. However, it did not come into prominence as a transport route until the discovery of gold in the Omineca/Peace River area in the 1860s created a demand for quick and efficient access to the goldfields. It remained as the main northern access route until 1920 when it became obsolete with the construction of a road from Prince George to Summit Lake. Today, the southern portion of the portage is still intact, however, the northern portion (Summit Lake end) has been obliterated by the construction of the Hart Highway. The map of the Giscome Portage shows its location in relation to the Upper Fraser River, Summit Lake, and Fort George. Historical Background of the Giscome PortageAlexander Mackenzie was the first non-Native to pass through the central interior of BC on his historic overland trek to the Pacific coast in 1793, Mackenzie descended the Fraser River by passing the south end of the Portage on his way to the West Road River and to Bella Coola.It was not until the early 1800s, when the Natives showed the early explorers alternative routes to the coast, that the portage became more commonly known. Simon Fraser, in his letters and Journals of 1806, refers to some of the routes as described to him by the Natives. One, known as the "Middle Road", was a short portage that led from Summit Lake to the Salmon River, a tributary of the Fraser:"…The Indians informed us of another road that lead(s) into the Columbia (Fraser) which is much shorter and more safe than the one we came by. It falls in a little below the Knights (Sir Alexander Mackenzie's) first encampment on the Columbia (Fraser). It is a fine navigable River, with no great current and a report says that there is only a couple of miles at most from the other lakes…Mr. McDougall has now directions to ascertain the truth of it, which if exact, will not only shorten the passage but render it perfectly safe…"James McDougall apparently did investigate this route and others, as subsequent letters refer not only to the above-mentioned "Middle Road" but also to another occasionally used route known as the "New Road". Writing to John Stuart, another Northwest Company employee, Fraser mentions this road,"I now inform you of a plan I have in view for the summer expedition…to get all the goods required…to Nakazleh (Stuart) Lake as soon as possible on the ice. By going round by the New Road when the navigation is open would cause the loss of much time and I expect that the ice will break up in the River (Nechako) nearly a month before the Lakes of the Mountains." The Giscome Portage was not recognized as a viable route until the 1860s when a demand arose for a more convenient passage to the northern gold fields of the Peace River and Omineca districts. The first miners heading into this area from the Cariboo used a route from Quesnelmouth up the Fraser River to Fort George, then up Stuart's River to Fort St. James. From Fort St. James the Hudson Bay Company pack trail led to Fort McLeod providing access to the Omineca and Peace River region. Miners seeking a more direct rout depended on native guides familiar with the territory. Two of these miners, who were among the first to explore the northern region's prospecting potential, were Henry McDame and John Giscome.Henry McDame and John Giscome were part of the great influx of miners who came to the Cariboo in 1858. Both were native West Indians: MacDame from the Bahamas and Giscome from Jamaica. They spent some time in the Quesnel mouth area and pre-empted adjacent properties. Their partnership was to continue for many years in various mining endeavours in the Cariboo, Omineca and Cassiar districts. It was during one of their exploration trips to the Peace River region that their Native guide led them over the portage. They set out from Quesnel mouth in November of 1862 with the intention of taking the Fort St. James route to the north. Traveling by canoe up the Fraser River, they found their way blocked by ice and were forced to winter in Fort George. It was not until April 22, 1863 that they were able to proceed. Over the winter they had heard from the local natives of another route utilizing the Salmon River, then with their native guide they again headed up the Fraser River to the Salmon. To their disappointment, ascent of this river was impossible as the water level was very high. Their guide then suggested an alternate route."…40 miles further up the Fraser, from whence they made a portage of about 9 miles to a lake, leaving the canoe behind. They have procured a fresh canoe from an Old Indian Chief and…crossed the lake which was about 25 miles wide…"When utilizing various lakes and streams they reached Fort McLeod, where they were greeted with a salute of 30 shots in honour of their arrival by a seldom-used route. From there they continued on their extensive exploration tour of the Peace River traveling as far as Forts St. John, Dunvegan and the Smoky and Red Deer Rivers. They then retraced their steps to the Finlay River where they commenced mining. In late October, with the first snowfall, they returned to Quesnelmouth via the Salmon River. Encouraged by the success of their trip, John Giscome wrote a lengthy report for the Colonist which was printed the following December. Shortly after he and McDame returned to the Omineca Area where they were involved in various mining ventures, there, and in the Cassiar district for many years. Giscome eventually returned to Victoria where he died in 1907, leaving a considerable estate. McDame stayed in the Cassiar district and although his death has not been recorded, he probably died there around the turn of the century. Both men have been commemorated as place names in British Columbia; Giscome in Giscome Portage, Giscome Rapids, Giscome Canyon, and the former sawmill town of Giscombe; McDame in McDame Creek, Mount McDame and McDame lake. It is unlikely Giscome and McDame were the first miners to use the portage, as the 1863 BC Directory mentions the existence of an alternate route to the Ft. St. James one, probably the portage. "…it is, however, asserted on good authority that a much nearer road can be taken, and McLeod's Lake reached from the Fraser without going round by Fort Stuart."By 1871, with the increased traffic over the portage, pressure was brought on by the government in the form of a petition for improvements. This petition was addressed to Anthony Musgrave, Governor of British Columbia and the Legislative Council and contained 399 signatures. It described the potential richness of the region and decried the lack of funds expended by the government on any exploration. The difficulty of access was driving the price of provisions up, thereby frustrating further private exploration and mining. The petitioners then went on to request a sum of $30,000 be set aside in the estimates to improve various trails in the Omineca and to construct a "…wagon road across the "Giscome Portage".Accordingly, on February 26, 1871 John Trutch received a letter from the Surveyor General instructing him to proceed to Quesnel mouth for the purpose"…of making a reconnaissance of the "Giscome Portage" and directing the construction of a wagon road across the same"Trutch reached Quesnel mouth on March 12 and remained there for three days. On March 15th he set out on his reconnaissance in company with G.B. Wright, John Grant, W. Dalziel, W. Bouche and four natives. They traveled by toboggans pulled by dogs, as the ice in the river made travel by canoe impossible. The party reached Fort George on March 19th, where they remained for several days, sending the Natives on to the portage with provisions.Trutch and his party finally reached the portage on Monday, March 27th, after a difficult trip in snowy and windy weather. The following Wednesday they completed a round trip across the portage to Summit Lake and back, following an Indian trail nine miles each way. A few days later the party set off for Fort McLeod. However, bad weather and lack of provisions forced them to return to the portage camp, except for John Grant who continued on to Fort McLeod and Germansen Creek, returning later to help oversee the building of the wagon road. Trutch then set up a permanent camp and remained there for over a month making a reconnaissance of the area and receiving supplies for the road building. In his journal he mentions the arrivals and departures of miners traveling on the Portage but had little success inducing any to stay to work on the road. Finally on May 8th the work began."…I started the work with three (3) men, the party being increased to twelve (12) during the course of the week. I had estimated that with a force or from forty (40) to fifty (50) men I should be able to complete the road in five (5) or six (6) weeks…but I was never able to collect more than twenty one men (21): the general average strength of the party being about fifteen (15) or sixteen (16).""It was with great difficulty also that I was able to keep any men at work as they were most restless and anxious to push on to the mines and it was only their inability to obtain provisions and supplies that forced them to remain. The work was consequently carried on under great discouragement."The actual road construction proved to be more complicated than had been originally thought. The ground was exceedingly wet and forming wetlands, thus necessitated much corduroying and bridging. Heavy rains and swarms of mosquitoes plagued disgruntled work crews on the portage. Many of the men gave up in disgust and deserted for the more imagined lucrative Omineca gold fields.As the project ran considerably past its time, John Trutch had to leave for Victoria before the completion. "…I was fortunate enough to succeed in inducing the Foreman, Mr. John Grant…to remain until the completion of the road."In his final report Trutch estimated the total cost of the construction of the wagon road to be $9,070.00.In 1875, Dr. Alfred Selwyn, who used the road on an exploration trip for the geological Survey of Canada, remarked that the Portage had been abandoned in favour of the Stuart Lake route. This assertion was certainly incorrect. Although the Stuart Lake route had remained in use, many miners, freighters and government officials, such as Peter O'Reilly, continued to use the portage. Selwyn, in his Report, went on to contradict himself when he described the Hudson's Bay Company's use of the route."The Hudson Bay Company…(sent) a wagon and horses up from Fort George to convey their goods over the six miles of road. We were very fortunate in finding the wagon and horses still there; had we been one day later we should not have done so, and to have "portaged" our canoe and boat without their aid would have been an arduous undertaking. As it was, two trips of the wagon sufficed to take everything to the other side, and in doing this we were kindly assisted by Mr. Seymour, who had come up with two Natives from Fort George to take the wagon and horses down for the winter." Dr. Selwyn went on to recommend that the route from Fort George via the portage, Pine Pass and thence to the Smoky and Athabasca Rivers be "more carefully examined" as a possible railroad route. This "careful examination" was carried out many times by various government and private agencies such as the CPR, other private railway ventures, and return visits by the Geological Survey of Canada.Despite the frequent use of the portage, there was little or no permanent settlement in that area prior to the turn of the century. A reference from a secondary source indicates Peter Dunlevy established a post by in 1873, at a time when he was apparently operating trading excursions to the Peace River district via McLeod Lake. In July of 1906 an area where the portage crossed was surveyed and set out into district lots. Of these lots, only two showed any buildings, D.L. 774 and D.L. 848. The south half of D.L. 774 was pre-empted sometime before 1906, by A.G. Hamilton, who was reportedly operating a store. The survey of his property shows a house and garden adjacent to the trail, and an "old building" further up near the river-bank. Hamilton does not appear to have occupied the site for many years as he later pre-empted property in Prince George and by 1912 his Giscome Portage property was pre-empted by Edward Seebach who likely was in possession of it earlier.Edward Seebach and Albert Huble were trappers who, in 1904, decided to open a trading post at the Portage. Whether they took over Hamilton's operation is not known, however, this seems likely. In early 1905 Albert Huble pre-empted D.L. 848 located south of D.L. 774. The 1906 survey shows a house and clearing as improvements, although the pre-emption record mentions "buildings". Certainly by 1910 he had erected some substantial ranch buildings, including a large log house and trading store."Giscome Portage… runs in a westerly direction for about 7 miles from the Fraser River to Summit Lake…Messrs. Hubble and Seaback have a small ranch and trading store here where the soil is fairly good, producing good vegetables and a small crop of oats, but the seasons seem short and they are bothered with summer frosts." As other pre-emptions were taken up in the area and further north, the Portage became a more popular route. Steamboats operating up the Fraser made regular stops to accommodate travelers and the Huble-Seabach operation became a supply centre, with a warehouse at the Summit Lake end, and a store at McLeod Lake. They also operated a freighting service over the portage, although not all travelers who availed themselves of this service were pleased. A visitor to the Portage, Hulbert Footner, wrote in 1912 of his impressions of the settlement and its occupants. "After several false discoveries Giscomb portage finally stole into view around a bend. We had been told that there was nothing to mark the place but a couple of Chinamen's shacks, that we might easily miss; however, we found that civilization had now reached a tentacle up the river. A store had been erected on the bank and two or three little dwellings with gardens at their sides. There were not less than a dozen souls about the place, giving us after our lonely voyage quite the effect of a metropolis" "It transpired that the storekeepers at Giscomb kept a team for the purpose of transporting outfits across the portage. They were outrageous brigands, at the pair of them, and even now my choler rises hotly at the recollection of the twenty cents a pound they forced us to pay for a tin of cocoa that we coveted. Ten dollars was asked to carry our sixty-pound boat and two hundred pounds of baggage for six miles. As they carried a three hundred pound bell at the same time, we comprised at seven. On the way over the driver somehow managed to pierce a hole in the canvas skin of the "Blunderbuss", which he artfully plugged with a lump of tar, so that we did not discover it until it was too late to call him to account." Seebach and Huble carried on their trading and packing operation for several years, while also maintaining their own homesteads. They even for a brief period had a post office. Many travelers passed over the portage in the intervening years, miners, surveyors, journalists, government officials, and adventurous travelers."Another party arrives…two members of the United States Biological survey on their way into the North Country. They have come down the Fraser from Tete Jeune Cache in a magnificent Peterborough canoe loaded with specimen cases and other paraphernalia."With the northern part of the Province opening up to settlement, a faster and more efficient transportation route was required. By 1911-12 a wagon road was under construction from the community of Fort George (now Prince George) to the Giscome Portage settlement, and was completed by 1916. This was a temporary measure utilized for a few years only until a rough road was put directly through to Summit Lake in 1919."On the Summit Lake Road a four-mile diversion was opened up and graded, giving a more direct route to this important lake, which is the commencement of navigation to the Peace River Country."This effectively put an end to the use of the Portage route and Seebach and Huble's operation. The store closed about 1920 and the property was eventually acquired by Mrs. Josephine Walker Mitchell to become part of the extensive WM Ranch. It wasn't until 1952 when the Hart Highway was completed, that Summit Lake Road, and Summit Lake itself, lost importance as a transport route. 4